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Okaloosa sets higher tentative tax rate (DOCUMENT)

By KARI C. BARLOW / Daily News

Published: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 06:17 PM.

Okaloosa County residents could see their property taxes increase by 4.3 percent in the coming fiscal year.

County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to raise the millage rate by a little more than 14 cents for every $1,000 of taxable value. The tentative millage cap would increase the tax rate from 3.28 mills to 3.43 mills.

“I see the economy in a slight uptick,” Windes said. “That’s worth something. … I think I can wait one more year.”

Amunds said after the meeting that he won’t vote to raise property taxes because most residents he has talked to are against it.

“The citizens have been very clear to me, and I don’t work for me, I work for the citizens,” he said.

Commissioners approved the millage rate hike after County Administrator Ernie Padgett presented them with an alternative to the 10 percent increase he proposed earlier this month.

Under the increase, the average homeowner in Okaloosa County — with a taxable value of $124,031 — would pay an additional $17 in annual property taxes, or $1.46 more a month.

A homeowner with $300,000 in taxable value would pay $42 more a year and an additional $3.52 per month.

Padgett said the 4.3 percent tax rate hike would generate the money needed to cover a $1.85 million increase in Florida Retirement System contributions being passed down to the counties by the state Legislature.

He said “every penny” generated by the tax increase would be used to pay the increased retirement contributions, which he described as a “costly unfunded mandate.”

“If the board could see their way clear to tweak the millage by this amount, it will still be a very lean budget, but it will be workable,” Padgett said.

He told commissioners the deep cuts of the past five years have begun to take a toll on the county’s ability to provide quality services.

“We’ve had to hunker down … but this is the year I feel like that we can start retarding or stopping that downward trend,” Padgett said.

Boyles, Windes, Harris and Parisot expressed support for an increase, although Boyles and Windes called for a 3-cent hike instead of 5 cents.

No vote was taken at Tuesday’s meeting.

Under state law, any change to the gas tax requires a supermajority of four votes.

Florida law allows Okaloosa to levy up to 12 cents per gallon of fuel sold in the county. The revenue can be used only on road construction and maintenance and certain storm water projects.

The county now levies a 7-cent gas tax.

In the next month, Padgett said he will work with his staff to make sure he can keep the proposed 3 percent salary increase for county workers in the budget. He said he is unsure if the smaller millage rate hike will allow him to give Sheriff Larry Ashley the $2 million budget increase he requested earlier in the month.

“I’ve got to get with the sheriff. That $2 million was based on if I’d got the 10 percent (millage rate increase),” he said. “I’m going to try to make it work. I’m going to do my best to recommend what’s fair to the sheriff.”

Okaloosa County residents could see their property taxes increase by 4.3 percent in the coming fiscal year.

County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to raise the millage rate by a little more than 14 cents for every $1,000 of taxable value. The tentative millage cap would increase the tax rate from 3.28 mills to 3.43 mills.

“I see the economy in a slight uptick,” Windes said. “That’s worth something. … I think I can wait one more year.”

Amunds said after the meeting that he won’t vote to raise property taxes because most residents he has talked to are against it.

“The citizens have been very clear to me, and I don’t work for me, I work for the citizens,” he said.

Commissioners approved the millage rate hike after County Administrator Ernie Padgett presented them with an alternative to the 10 percent increase he proposed earlier this month.

Under the increase, the average homeowner in Okaloosa County — with a taxable value of $124,031 — would pay an additional $17 in annual property taxes, or $1.46 more a month.

A homeowner with $300,000 in taxable value would pay $42 more a year and an additional $3.52 per month.

Padgett said the 4.3 percent tax rate hike would generate the money needed to cover a $1.85 million increase in Florida Retirement System contributions being passed down to the counties by the state Legislature.

He said “every penny” generated by the tax increase would be used to pay the increased retirement contributions, which he described as a “costly unfunded mandate.”

“If the board could see their way clear to tweak the millage by this amount, it will still be a very lean budget, but it will be workable,” Padgett said.

He told commissioners the deep cuts of the past five years have begun to take a toll on the county’s ability to provide quality services.

“We’ve had to hunker down … but this is the year I feel like that we can start retarding or stopping that downward trend,” Padgett said.

Boyles, Windes, Harris and Parisot expressed support for an increase, although Boyles and Windes called for a 3-cent hike instead of 5 cents.

No vote was taken at Tuesday’s meeting.

Under state law, any change to the gas tax requires a supermajority of four votes.

Florida law allows Okaloosa to levy up to 12 cents per gallon of fuel sold in the county. The revenue can be used only on road construction and maintenance and certain storm water projects.

The county now levies a 7-cent gas tax.

In the next month, Padgett said he will work with his staff to make sure he can keep the proposed 3 percent salary increase for county workers in the budget. He said he is unsure if the smaller millage rate hike will allow him to give Sheriff Larry Ashley the $2 million budget increase he requested earlier in the month.

“I’ve got to get with the sheriff. That $2 million was based on if I’d got the 10 percent (millage rate increase),” he said. “I’m going to try to make it work. I’m going to do my best to recommend what’s fair to the sheriff.”